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Microsoft Windows 7 harbors a serious vulnerability that puts people browsing the Web on Safari in danger of having their computers compromised.

Microsoft

In an advisory, the security firm Secunia warned that the "highly critical" memory corruption flaw could allow a remote attacker to gain access to a target's Windows 7 system and execute malicious code with kernel-level privileges. (Msnbc.com is a Microsoft-NBC Universal joint venture.)

The port of entry for the hack is Apple's popular Web browser, Safari; by crafting a rigged iFrame — a line of code inserted into a Web page that loads data from another site — an attacker could launch the takeover. There is currently "no effective solution" for the flaw, Secunia wrote.

To keep yourself protected against this type of mass-injection attack, as it is called, make sure you run strong, up-to-date anti-virus software on your computer, and supplement it with a threat-detecting and eliminating anti-malware program.